LORMAN — After starting the season against two tough FBS opponents, Alcorn State took advantage of being the bully for once.

Quarterback Xzavier Vaughn accounted for 228 total yards — 184 passing and 44 rushing — and ran for three touchdowns as the Braves beat NAIA member Edward Waters 38-7 Saturday for their first victory of the season.

Vaughn had two of his three rushing TDs in the second half to help Alcorn (1-2) pull away. Alcorn finished with 201 rushing yards as a team, and limited Edward Waters to 101 total yards.

Alcorn, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, lost its first two games to Football Bowl Subdivision members UAB and Vanderbilt by a combined score of 96-3.

Jackson State 33, Southern U. 15
Jackson State scored three touchdowns in the first half to jump out to a huge lead and rolled to a victory over Southern University in its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener.

Jackson State (2-1, 1-0 SWAC) rushed for 201 yards, spread among seven players. Irv Mulligan led the way with 51 yards and a touchdown. Ahmad Miller had 35 yards and a TD, and J.D. Martin had 33 yards and a TD.

Jackson State quarterback Jacobian Morgan completed 12 of 21 passes for 153 yards, with a 30-yard touchdown to Marvin Landy early in the second quarter that helped the Tigers take a 23-0 lead.

Former Warren Central star Joshua Griffin kicked a 29-yard field goal with 36 seconds left in the second quarter for Southern’s first points.

Southern (1-2, 0-1) only had 29 rushing yards as a team, although quarterback Noah Bodden passed for 352 yards and a touchdown.

Murray State 59, Mississippi Valley State 8
Jayden Johannsen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Murray State (1-2) rushed for 219 yards as a team to beat Mississippi Valley State (0-3).

Johannsen accounted for two touchdowns in the first half as Murray State took a 31-8 lead into halftime.

Ty’Jarian Williams threw a 15-yard TD pass to Kerrick Ross late in the second quarter for Valley’s only touchdown.

Wingate 21, Delta State 7
Wingate (2-0) held Delta State (2-1) to 253 yards of total offense and handed the Statesmen their first loss of the season on Saturday. Wingate had five sacks.

Brooks Bentley completed 16 of 28 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown for Wingate, while O’Brien Barnett and Noah Bell scored rushing touchdowns.

Cole Kirk had a 65-yard touchdown run to give Delta State a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but that one play accounted for nearly half of the team’s 144 rushing yards.

Texas A&M-Kingsville 27, Mississippi College 7
Roger Hagan ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Texas A&M-Kingsville scored 24 unanswered points to beat Mississippi College (0-3).

Mississippi College took a 7-3 lead on Preston Godfrey’s 59-yard touchdown run with 2:42 left in the first quarter, and then did not score again.

Godfrey finished with 79 rushing yards on seven carries. Choctaws quarterback Eli Anderson was 13-of-17 passing for only 84 yards.

Trinity (Texas) 55, Belhaven 10
Seven players scored touchdowns for Trinity (Texas), and the Tigers scored on offense, defense and special teams in a rout of Belhaven (0-2).

Lamont Nickleberry scored on a 65-yard punt return and Tyson Cornett on a 24-yard interception return for Trinity (1-1). Winston Hutchison led the offense with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Belhaven trailed 34-0 at halftime and got its first points on Constantine Hontzas’ 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. It also had a touchdown on a 2-yard pass from Brock Morris to Cooper Tullo with 3:38 left in the game.

The 2024 Mississippi Book Festival kicked off festivities with an unveiling on the Mississippi State Capitol Building steps Saturday morning. A new marker dedicated to the beloved Jackson festival will be added to the Mississippi Writers Trail.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, dozens of festival attendees were already strolling in front of the capitol building perusing the tents lining Mississippi Street. Behind them, a group of guests watched as Holly Lange and Jere Nash unveiled the new marker. Lange and Nash founded the Mississippi Book Festival in 2014 as a way to bring book lovers and authors together to celebrate literature in the heart of Jackson.

The festival, referred to as “the South’s literary lawn party,” celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

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The plaque is the newest marker on the Mississippi Writers Trail, a path designed to turn Mississippi’s literary history into visible markers throughout the state. First opened in 2018, the trail features markers placed in several Mississippi cities from the bottom of the state to the top. Existing markers honor past and present writers, including William Faulkner, Ida B. Wells, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Willie Morris and Richard Wright among others.

After the festival, the marker will find a permanent home on the capitol building lawn.

David Lewis, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, said the marker is a great way to celebrate 10 years of the book festival.

“What a fitting way to honor the 10th anniversary by cementing it into history and putting a marker here on the grounds,” Lewis said. “What’s so great about the book festival is that it is on the capitol grounds, and that’s a great partnership with the state of Mississippi.”

The marker not only honors Mississippi writers but also the founders of the book festival and the state lawmakers who work with the festival each year.

All of the trail markers are chosen through the Mississippi Arts Commission. Ellen Daniels, executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival, said the new marker, which has been in the works for a year, is an honor.

“It really means (the book festival) has contributed something to the literary culture of the state,” Daniels said.

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Jane Alexander, CEO and president of the Community Foundation for Mississippi, said the new marker is an important reflection of Mississippi’s unique literary history.

“I think it’s really important that people know that Mississippi values our wordsmiths, our writers and the people who bring us ideas and share our ideas,” Alexander said. “It’s something all of us brag about, and so this is sort of the public way to brag about this to anyone who comes to the capitol. We own our history, but we also look forward to the future.”

The Mississippi Book Festival was held Saturday at the Mississippi State Capitol Building with seminars and featured guests, including LaVar Burton and Jesmyn Ward.

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Questions about rail safety linger for many across Mississippi after a Vicksburg train derailment unfolded earlier this month.

The accident resulted in a man being temporarily trapped under a rail car. According to data compiled by the National League of Cities, derailments in Vicksburg also occurred in 2018, 2021 and 2022. But outside of Warren County, USA Facts data indicates that Mississippi has a disproportionate share of derailments in the U.S.

Mississippi currently accounts for approximately 1.8% of the country’s GDP. Much of that contribution to the national economy never touches a train track. Still, the state currently accounts for roughly 2.1% of the 134,765 train derailments nationally between 1975 and 2022.

Man rescued after train derails in Vicksburg

The number of derailments in Mississippi during that period surpasses 23 states and Washington. Many of those states have larger populations, impact on the national economy and railroad systems than Mississippi.

As of publication, it is unknown why the train derailed in Vicksburg this month. However, USA Facts reveals that half of all train accidents are caused by either mechanical failure or structural issues involving the track or roadbed. Human error is the major factor in 30% of all train accidents.

Even if the train stays on the tracks, train accidents may still be devastating. In late August, two people died after their truck was hit by a train in Copiah County.

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